


The Rogue Kunoichi

by AmegakureNoKunoichi



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-06-15 07:24:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15407940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmegakureNoKunoichi/pseuds/AmegakureNoKunoichi
Summary: It was well worth the extra chakra to not let others see one's true face. She was a kunoichi of no name, no village, no family, no loyalty to anyone but herself. It was a lonely life but that was the cost she had to pay in order to live. Friends could easily become enemies and the less strings you have tied to your heart the less it will be torn apart by the ugliness that is life.





	1. The Lonely Dove

Dark eyes peered over the rim of her glass as the kunoichi scanned the dark room. The world was a dangerous place and the tavern she was in was no exception. Drunkards swayed between the chairs in a weaving dance while thugs glowered at all who passed. Thick scars, missing eyes or limbs, colorful tattoos, and ragged clothes decorated all of the _Lonely Dove’s _patrons. The kunoichi was no exception to this; her clothes were worn and ragged, her sleeves a series of long slits held together by mere threads and her dusty pants were stained with mud and less pleasant things. Her sandals were ready to fall apart at the seams and all of her gear showed that it had been well worn. But what caught most of her fellow customer’s eyes were the thick scars that peeked over her thin shoulders through her shirt. Those who had already been in the bar when she had entered had noticed that those scars trailed down her back, where they were joined by many others. All in all, it was time to find a bounty and get new clothes.__

__The kunoichi watched the others as they watched her, all scanning faces for recognizable marks and calculating risks versus rewards as they flipped through memorized pages of the Bingo books. Yet no one would find her face in their book for no one person saw the same face. To one man she was a pretty blond with dark green eyes, to a squat woman in the back she was a fiery red head with slashes across her cheeks. It was well worth the extra chakra to not let others see one's true face. She was a kunoichi of no name, no village, no family, no loyalty to anyone but herself. It was a lonely life but that was the cost she had to pay in order to live. Friends could easily become enemies and the less strings you have tied to your heart the less it will be torn apart by the ugliness that is life. She was torn from her musings by a bar maid placing a foamy brown drink in front of her._ _

__“Compliments of the shaggy haired gent in the back corner,” she quipped before bustling off to serve another table. The kunoichi stared at the drink, a ‘horny toad’, before glancing at the corner where her supposed admirer was. A mass of shaggy white hair caught her eye and she scowled. It was _him _again. For the past month she had found that every time she went somewhere for food or a decent bed for the night, the man with white hair would show up. And every time he bought her a drink with a suggestive name: horny toad, mint to be, drinking of you, cat’s meow, supple serpent, the list went on. She had tried sending the drinks back and had even lobbed a few shuriken at his head, but he kept on following her and she had no idea why. He didn’t look like a bounty hunter or hunter nin, he didn’t even really look like a credible ninja, but something about him, about the way he looked at her, warned the kunoichi to be careful. Deciding that it was time to go, the kunoichi dropped enough money to pay for her drink on the table and headed to the exit, avoiding meeting the eye of anyone else in the tavern. Unfortunately for her, someone else decided to come in just as she was trying to get out.___ _

____“Oi! Watch where you’re going scum!” growled the man she had bumped into. The kunoichi bobbed her head and tried to slip past the new group of ninja. “Where do you think you’re going?” One of the men grabbed the collar of her shirt, stopping the kunoichi in her tracks. “You haven’t apologized to the boss yet.”_ _ _ _

____“I’m sorry for running into you, now I’ll just be on my way…guh” she rasped before being jerked back into the tavern by the goon who had been holding onto her. Her back hit the worn floorboards hard as her head crashed into a table leg, cracking it. The kunoichi growled slightly and jumped back to her feet, one hand edging towards her kunai. The new ninjas just smirked and drew their own kunai, obviously confident that they could overpower the thin girl in rags. Overconfidence could be such a pain in the ass. Before they could take a step towards her, each thug found a foot in his face or an elbow in his ribs, knocking each and every one of them on their backs. The leader of the group struggled to lift himself onto his elbows where he saw the kunoichi standing over them, one hand on her hip and the other holding the latest edition of the Bingo book to her face. “Well well well, looks like I’m in luck,” she drawled, “You are the Rowdy Gang are you not?” She raised an eyebrow at the boss as though daring him to lie to her. He gulped when he saw her pupils narrow into slits like a cat’s. _This girl isn’t normal _he thought. “Are you going to stare or are you going to answer the question.” He started out of his thoughts and quickly yanked himself to his feet.___ _ _ _

_____“So what if we are?” he sneered while signaling for his men to get up and surround the pesky kunoichi._ _ _ _ _

_____“If you are then I’ll bring you in alive for your bounty, however if you are not then you must still be worth at least some money but I don’t have to worry about keeping you alive.” The gang’s blood turned to ice at these words, at the cold, uncaring way in which she uttered them. Their lives were just numbers in her checkbook, life or death weighed on a scale of worth. Enraged the thugs charged at the kunoichi, only for her to disappear in a puff of smoke before reappearing in the distance running from the tavern. The thugs tore after her, their bloodlust demanding to be sated as their wounded pride cried for vengeance. The patrons of the Lonely Dove nursed their drinks and silently counted down in their heads until they heard the screams of the Rowdy Gang as they fell into a trap._ _ _ _ _

______The Rogue Kunoichi had struck again. ____ _ _ _ _


	2. Frustration and Capture

Jiraiya was frustrated. First, he was unable to locate Orochimaru's new hideout, and now the new "Rogue Kunoichi" was proving to be even more elusive. The rumors of an unknown kunoichi who no one knew and who kept her true face hidden behind a genjutsu had peaked his interest and the promise of a new potential story for his _Icha Icha _series sent Jiraiya on a wild chase through several countries. He had caught glimpses of the girl but every attempt to make contact with her had been rebuffed. In short, he wasn't just frustrated, he was extremely frustrated! However, his encounters with her had allowed Jiraiya a chance to observe an interesting pattern in the kunoichi's movements. She was never in seen in an area where there were also rumors of either Orochimaru or the secretive Akatsuki being active and always left as soon as they were rumored to be close to her own location. Jiraiya had been unable to find out exactly why she was so cautious about those two groups, but he intended to use that information to his advantage.__

Throughout his years of traveling Jiraiya had made a point to make friends with as many bar and tavern owners as he could. Not only did this give him access to their rich knowledge of the latest gossip, but it also allowed him to ask for the occasional favor. After learning that the Rogue Kunoichi was along the border between the lands of Fire and Waterfall, he asked owners in Waterfall to start a rumor that Akatsuki was in the area. Meanwhile, he would set his trap. At a crossroads right at the border Jiraiya summoned a Shop Toad from Mount Myoboku which he had transform into a respectable little tavern named Club Toad. Now all he had to do was wait for his target to arrive...

  


The Rogue Kunoichi was tired, wet, and frustrated. Not only had her target in Waterfall already been caught and turned in for the bounty, but that damned Akatsuki had arrived and was rumored to be patrolling everywhere! Like hell she was going to let herself be caught by those bastards. She already knew that Kakuzu desperately wanted wring all ryo he could out of her hide after she beat him to one too many bounties. What she needed was a place to lay low for a while and wait for the hunt for her to die down, maybe even start a rumor that she had died and start over with a new, permanent disguise. But to do that she would need to find a place to stay for several months and staying in one place required money which she did not have. The Rowdy Gang bounty hadn't lasted as long as she had hoped it would and she had been unable to bring in more funds. But all that could wait, for now she just wanted somewhere warm to spend the night and to get out of the pouring rain and avoid the cold that her sore throat was threatening.

Looking ahead the kunoichi saw a small tavern, warm light spilling from its windows. She stopped in front of it and considered her options. On the one hand it would provide shelter and had signs advertising cheap rooms for rent, on the other hand it positively reeked of toad and not just any toad scent but the scent that had seemed to cling to that white-haired freak that had been tailing her only a couple of weeks before. Now that she thought of it, she hadn't run into him since she caught the Rowdy Gang. She frowned at the tavern, its warmth seemed to mock her now, tempting her to step into what was clearly a trap. The whole building even looked like a toad and the name didn't help either. Club Toad hah! How stupid did that spiky haired buffoon think she was? With a small snort of derision, she turned to continue heading into Fire country before she was stopped by a sudden bout of coughing. It tore at her throat and seemed determined heave her lungs out of her chest. She fell to her knees, water soaking through her pants and chilling her to the bone. _Is this how I die? Coughing my lungs out in the rain? ___

____

____

Before her thoughts could get much darker, warmth suddenly engulfed her and the kunoichi could feel herself being lifted to her feet and guided towards the tavern. She tried to stop but the slick mud didn't give her much traction and whoever was guiding her was much stronger and larger than she was. Her helper guided her to a small table and helped her to sit. A hot drink was forced into the hand that wasn't covering her coughs and then the person backed away. Desperate for the coughs to stop and resigned to the fact that if this was a trap she was already caught, the kunoichi gulped down the drink, feeling it soothe the irritated tissues of her throat. Gulping in several breaths she turned her head towards whoever it was that had helped her. It was her spiky haired stalker, his hands already twisting into the signs to spring his trap. 


	3. Trapped

She watched from her chair as the wooden walls of _Club Toad _dissolved and became pink, fleshy ridges that extended to transform the ceiling and floor as well. Within a matter of seconds, she was no longer sitting on a chair but on what must have been a bump in the Shop Toad's stomach, walls of flesh surrounding her and no way out. Despite the apparent danger of her situation, the kunoichi did not move from her spot, did not draw her kunai, nor did she prepare her own jutsu; she simply sat and for the first time really looked at the man who had been hunting her for the past several weeks.__

__

__The first thing that struck her was that he was tall, maybe a full head taller than her with his spiky white hair and geta sandals adding several more inches to his height. His hair framed his broad face in jagged columns before hanging below his waist in a pony tail that looked more like the tail of a beast than that of any horse. He wore a simple leaf green kimono top and pants with a red haori vest. Two pale yellow circles sat at his shoulders, possibly clan symbols but if so they were from a clan that she had never heard of. The mesh armor that was typical of village shinobi peeked out from his wrists and ankles and metal plates covered the backs of his hands. His face was broad and friendly, with a red line, almost a tear trail, trailing from the outer edge of each of his black eyes down to just under the edge of his jaw. In place of the typical hitai-ate, his forehead was covered by a horned metal plate with the kanji for oil. Judged purely from outward appearances he could be mistaken for someone's' eccentric uncle or a kabuki actor, but when you added in the pure confidence and power that radiated from him, you knew that you were dealing with no ordinary being._ _

__

__She was drawn from her observations when the man shifted his weight and lowered his hands back to his sides, apparently the jutsu had been completed. He looked down at her and she looked up at him, neither moving or saying anything. The kunoichi was reminded of another stand off that she had had, long ago when her days were peaceful and she had others to look after her. But this stare down was not that one, looking away wouldn't merely be a loss in a child's game, here it would mean submission to the will of another, and a surrender of one's pride. Just as she was about to shift into a more comfortable position, the man gave a frustrated sigh and crossed his arms._ _

__

__"Do you always greet people with a stare or do you just not know how to say hello?" The kunoichi jumped at his words and briefly looked away before meeting his eyes once again._ _

__

__"I believe it is customary for the captor to begin the conversation in situations like this." Her voice was soft and controlled, but she couldn't hold back a slight grimace when she felt a tickle of a cough beginning to build up._ _

__

__"Here," she jumped when a hand appeared in front of her face, it opened to reveal a small vial. "It's cough medicine. It won't get rid of your cold but it should allow us to hold a conversation and conduct some business."_ _

__

__"Business?" she asked while taking a surreptitious sniff of the medicine. It didn't smell like poison but you could never really be sure..._ _

__

__"Yes, business and that isn't poison. If I wanted you dead you'd be dead already right?" The man ended with a throaty chuckle, his eyes closed in mirth. She looked down at the vial again, contemplating the thick purplish liquid, before giving a slight shrug and swallowing the vial's contents in one go. The liquid tasted horribly medicinal and was most definitely NOT poison._ _

__

__"So what business brings you to trap innocent travelers may I ask?"_ _

__

__"Innocent?"_ _

__

__"Do I not look innocent?" The kunoichi widened her eyes and stared up at the man with a slight pout. She hated doing this but it had gotten her out of a few tight spots before._ _

__

__Jiraiya struggled not to give in to the face that the kunoichi had turned towards him. He had always loved styling himself as a gallant hero who swooped in to save the damsel in distress and right now the girl in front of him looked just like one of the helpless maidens on the covers of his books. Her blue eyes were wide and bright, like reflected pools of liquid sapphires, and her pale face practically shone against the dark silhouette of her midnight hair. She looked like she was practically drowning in the large blanket that he had wrapped in, almost like a bedraggled kitten. But he could also see a coolness to her, a cunning glint in her eyes that spoke of plans to escape or stab him the second his guard went down._ _

__

__"No, I'm afraid you don't look very innocent," he grunted. He watched as her pupils went from wide, innocent black pools to thin slits, transforming the kunoichi from a cute kitten to a coiled cobra, complete with bared fangs. Jiraiya gave a start and stepped back when the kunoichi hissed at him, thin, inch-long fangs that he swore hadn't been there a second ago protruding from the roof of her mouth. He had only ever known of one shinobi who had fangs before and, stupidly, he blurted out, "are you sure that you are female?"_ _

__

__"WHAT!?" The girl was now on her feet, the blanket pooled around her ankles. "I've heard some odd questions before but this one takes the cake. What do you mean am I sure that I'm female? What kind of perverted fuck are you? How the HELL does me having fangs relate to my gender?" Jiraiya held up his hands in a placating gesture and backed away slightly._ _

__

__"My apologies but I've only ever known one other person who has fangs. I thought that you might be him in disguise." His apology only got him a venomous glare, but at least the fangs were no longer on show._ _

__

__"And who is this other fanged shinobi?"_ _

__

__"Orochimaru."_ _

__

__"Orochi...oh," the girl watched him cautiously. Jiraiya noticed that she no longer seemed to be on the attack but was shifting her weight to her heels, ready to flee. "Wh-who is this Orochimaru to you?" She was definitely not looking at him now._ _

__

__"Who says that he is anything to me?"_ _

__

__"I would assume that if you would ask someone if they are him that you would be looking for him."_ _

__

__"He's just a former acquaintance of mine."_ _

__

__"Define acquaintance."_ _

__

__"Can't we just start this conversation over?"_ _

__

__"No."_ _

__

__"Ahh come on. No need to be so scared."_ _

__

__"Stay away from me and answer the question!"_ _

__

__"Come onnn"_ _

__

__"No!"_ _

__SMACK! Jiraiya stood stunned with a hand holding his stinging cheek. The kunoichi was on the other side of the toad's stomach, panting heavily and trembling slightly. "Just tell me what that monster is to you," she hissed. He stared at her, at how her cheeks were flushed and a fire flared in her eyes. Jiraiya now knew two things for sure about the Rogue Kunoichi:_ _

__

__1\. she was deathly ill and_ _

__

__2\. at some point in her life, his former teammate had done something terrible to her._ _


	4. Interogation

She was ready to blow a hole in the stupid toad's side, mercy towards innocent animals be damned! Not only had the kunoichi been trapped, she had been trapped by someone who knew that monster. She glanced around the stomach that she was trapped in, looking for any weak points. Unfortunately, she was unable to find any, but that wasn’t going to stop her from getting as far from her white haired captor as possible. Reaching up to the seal on her upper arm the kunoichi summoned a small vial and tossed its contents onto the floor of the toad’s stomach. As soon as the liquid hit the pink flesh it began to smoke and blister, curls of vapor rising before the horrified face of her captor before they both lost their footing as the stomach lurched. The next thing she knew, she had been spewed out onto the cold mud along with a foul smelling green bile. Coughing and gagging she staggered to her feet, fully intending to run for the protection of the forest, but a large hand on her shoulder stopped the kunoichi in her tracks. She turned towards her attacker with a snarl and a fist full of kunai but a sharp blow to the back of her neck stopped the kunoichi in her tracks. She slumped towards the ground unconscious but a strong arm around her middle stopped her from falling once again into the cold mud.   
Jiraiya looked down at his captive with a frown, she was fever hot to the touch and trembling even as he felt her chakra flare in an attempt to remain alert to danger even while unconscious. Although he was angered by the damage that she had done to his Shop Toad summon Jiraiya couldn’t really blame her for her actions. He had been the one to trap the kunoichi and bringing up Orochimaru had obviously touched a sore spot with her. With such a rocky start to meeting to girl Jiraiya could almost see his hopes for Icha Icha Rogue Kunoichi flying away with the wind. He could only hope that food, care, and shelter would soften her temper and make the kunoichi more receptive to his propositions. Jiraiya gently wrapped the girl in a cloak from his pack before lifting her into his arms. He frowned slightly at how light she was, her dead weight barely registering to his battle-strengthened arms. Turning towards the road Jiraiya set off at an easy pace towards the nearest town and hotel.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The kunoichi groaned as sunlight shone across her eyelids. She didn’t want to wake up, she was too warm and the pallet under her was sooooo soft…wait, soft? Comfortable? Wasn’t she fighting someone before she fell unconscious?  
She sat up with a start before groaning and falling back onto the pillow holding her aching head. It felt like a snake was slowly constricting her brain while simultaneously injecting alternating shots of ice and lave into her bloodstream. She whimpered slightly and curled into a ball, consciousness bringing with it the full force of her illnesses attack on her body. A hand on her shoulder brought the kunoichi out of her thoughts and she turned to see her captor kneeling at her bedside. He wordlessly held a glass of water to her lips and she drank, too tired to fight or check for drugs. At this point she would welcome death with open arms. Maybe she would even be able to see her loved ones again. A grunt brought her back to reality.  
“Do you think that you could eat something?” Her stomach tightened at the thought of food but the nausea lurking at the back of her throat warned the kunoichi that eating might not be a good idea. She shook her head slightly but groaned when the motion only worsened her headache. The white-haired man pressed a cool rag her forehead before moving to get up. She weakly grabbed at his sleeve, missing it entirely.  
“Wait,” she croaked, “can’t I at least know your name?” The man’s eyes widened slightly before he threw his head back and gave a loud bark of laughter, startling the kunoichi.   
“My apologies, I guess I never really got the chance to introduce myself!” he laughed while scratching the mole on the left side of his nose, “I am Mt. Myoboku’s Holy Master Sennin! One of the Legendary Sannin! The Great Jiraiya!!!” As he made his announcements the Jiraiya struck a pose that he must have thought looked impressive but just looked stupid to the kunoichi. As she was beginning to wonder if this man was really one of the Sannin she suddenly found a finger pointing between her eyes. “So! Since I have introduced myself, what would your name be, Rogue Kunoichi-san?” Narrowing her eyes, the kunoichi pushed the offending finger away from her face before crossing her arms and looking away, nose in the air.  
“I don’t have a name and even if I did I wouldn’t tell if to a liar like you!”  
“Liar!?!”  
“No one who looks as ridiculous as you do could possibly be one of the Legendary Three.”  
“I can prove it!”  
“No you can’t!”  
“Hah!” With a cry Jiraiya drew an old photograph from his hanten and shoved it into the kunoichi’s face. “Now tell me that I’m not one of the Sannin!” Taking the photo from him the kunoichi examined the picture. It was a team photograph, worn and faded from years of abuse. A man with spiky brown hair grinned behind three small children, two scowling boys and one grinning girl. The boy on the left was a perfect miniature of the man in front of her, even if the red eye markings were shorter in the picture, however it was the boy on the right that she found her eyes reluctantly drawn to. She would know that ghostly pallor and those purple markings anywhere. With a shrug she held the picture back over to Jiraiya and turned away. “So? Have I proved myself?”  
“Maybe but I still don’t have a name to give you,” Jiraiya frowned down at the girl. Her eyes were scrunched up as if in pain and her arms were crossed across her body as if she was trying to hold herself together. She didn’t seem to be in physical pain…oh. Jiraiya remembered her almost violent reaction to the mention of Orochimaru and looked down at the photo.  
“Are there other questions about yourself that you would answer in place of giving your name?” he asked gently, deciding that pushing the girl for answers was probably not the best course of action when she was still so sick.  
“That would depend on the question,” she ground out before glaring at him. Jiraiya sat back on his heels, hand on his chin in thought. What could he ask that would tell him something about her without her knowing that he was learning something important?  
“What is your favorite snack?” Jiraiya grinned at his own genius. Certain foods were found only in certain regions of the world and it was a good bet that the girl’s favorite snack was from her homeland.   
“My favorite…snack? Hmmmm,” what was her favorite snack? The girl looked down at the blankets covering her legs as she thought. It had been so long since she had even had a snack, much less a favorite. I haven’t even had a dango since… “Dango, dango would be my favorite snack.”  
“Aaah,” Drat! That isn’t very region specific! “Any favorite festivals?”  
“Never been to one.”  
“Favorite flower?”  
“Tsubaki (camellia).”  
“Favorite…”  
“If you’re trying to find out where I’m from with your questions Jiraiya-sama you’re not going to succeed. I may be ill but I’m not stupid.” Jiraiya had the decency to look slightly embarrassed at least.   
“My apologies but you can’t blame me for being curious can you?”  
“I cannot but I do have a question for you. Why are you so interested in my story?”  
“I would like to use it in my books.”  
“Books?” Jiraiya suddenly seemed to glow with excitement. He sprang from her bedside and almost ran to his bags on the other side of the room. Springing back, he carried an orange book in his hand. A very familiar orange book. Jiraiya froze and cocked his head in curiosity as he watched a very interesting shade of red slowly creep across the kunoichi’s face. “You, you’re not serious, are you? You’re the author of those books?!?”  
“I am! I, Jiraiya, am the one and only author of the world famous (ahem infamous) Icha Icha series.” The kunoichi’s face went from rose to beet red and she buried her face in her hands, the redness spreading to the tips of her ears. She mumbled something into her hands that Jiraiya couldn’t understand. “I’m sorry what was that?”  
“Mmmmmm mumble grrrr.”  
“Sorry?”  
“I SAID I OWN ALL OF YOUR STUPID BOOKS ALRIGHT!!!” The kunoichi turned an even brighter shade of red if possible and turned away from Jiraiya to bury her face in her pillow.   
“Hoooooooh! Is that right?” Jiraiya grinned and slid his hair back. He was in front of a fan after all, he had to make sure that he looked good. “So how does a young woman such as yourself come by such material? You look like you’re barely old enough for them.”  
“If you must know,” she growled, lifting her head from the pillow, “they have become something of a black market currency among rogues. The rarer the edition the higher the value. I simply made sure to collect the best editions that I could find. It’s not like I like them or anything.” She looked up to glare at Jiraiya but found that he had an odd look on his face. He was focused on her face, his eyes seeming to zero in on something. “What is it? Do I have something on my fa-huh?!”  
Jiraiya gripped the girls face tightly in his hand, staring hard at the small tear in the skin between her right eye and her nose that had appeared. The tear did not bleed but seemed to reveal purplish skin underneath. He lifted his other hand and gently ran a finger along the tear. The girl froze at his touch and her wide blue eyes grew even larger in fear. Jiraiya shifted so that his weight held her down, he wasn’t about to let her escape him again. He carefully pinched the edge of the tear between two fingers and slowly pulled the second skin away. Repeating the process on the other eye Jiraiya sat back, shocked at his discovery. Violet markings, faded from her ill health, surrounded the girl’s eyes before extending down to halfway down her nose. The pallor, the markings, the slitted pupils, and the fangs, all were traits that she could have inherited from one man. Jiraiya stared down at the frightened kunoichi before giving a soft smile.  
“It’s been a long time, Areina-chan.”


	5. Flight

Areina looked up at Jiraiya in horror. No one was supposed to know that she was alive. No one was supposed to recognize her. She had worked so hard over the past six years to make sure that there was never any chance of someone who she knew crossing her path. And she wasn’t going to fail now.

Jiraiya leapt back to escape the fangs that narrowly missed sinking into his arm. In the seconds that it took for him to recover from the shock the kunoichi broke through the hotel window and fled into the daylight. Her breaths rasped in her throat and her heart felt like it was about to burst from her chest. Areina cursed her luck that both her shoes and her weapons had been left behind but those could eventually be replaced, her life however, could not. She turned a last corner and left the town for the surrounding woods, her bare feet slipping on wet leaves and mud. She could hear a creek ahead, her spirit lifting at the chance to hide her tracks and scent. Light reflected off the water, she could hear it gurgle as it flowed over smooth stones…  
WHAM!

A heavy weight crashed into her back, knocking the kunoichi off balance and away from the escape offered by the creek. Areina snarled as she turned to see what had hit her, but never got the chance. The snarl irritated her already sensitive throat, tipping her over the edge and into an endless coughing fit. She couldn’t get enough air into her lunges, nor lessen the ragged coughs that tore from her throat. Areina fell to her knees, the thick mud sucking at her legs as if to drag her under. Dimly she could hear someone shouting in her ear and shaking her, but nothing seemed to make sense anymore. She needed air, needed oxygen, needed to live…but then again…did she really? What was the point to her living again? She had no family, no village, no friends, nothing. Wouldn’t it just…be so much easier…if she just…gave in? Stopped fighting the exhaustion that dragged at every cell of her being and allowed death to take her into his cold embrace? It was so tempting an idea, she wanted to give in so very badly but…was this really how she wanted it to end? Coughing her lungs out in the mud of some forest in the middle of nowhere? No, this was not how she was going to die!   
Areina gasped for larger breaths, trying to stop the coughs through sheer force of will. As more air entered her lungs the fog that had obscured the world around her began to lift, allowing her to finally see where she had ended up. She was being held tightly against a broad chest and was wrapped in a thick cloak. A warm hand rubbed firmly between her shoulder blades, easing the tightness in her chest and allowing her breaths to gradually even out. It felt like she knelt there for hours just trying to draw in a breath without triggering a cough. Areina trembled against whomever held her as her exhaustion threatened to pull her back into oblivion. She couldn’t afford to fall unconscious yet, she had to stay awake to see who it was that held her, to make sure that they weren’t a threat, but she couldn’t seem to be able to muster the strength to lift her head the few inches that it would take to see their face. As her breathing evened out the hand that had been rubbing soothing circles on her back moved under her chin to lift her heavy head to face the person who held her. It was Jiraiya, worry evident on his face. When she moved to speak, he placed his thumb against her lips.  
“Let’s go back kiddo, we can talk once we’ve got this fever of yours under control.” Areina nodded her consent, finally allowing herself to slip into the slumber her body desperately needed. Maybe, just maybe, she had found someone worth trusting again. 

When she woke up, she was back on the soft futon with the soft light of sunrise just beginning to peak through the windows. Areina glanced around and saw Jiraiya at the other end of the room passed out on his own futon. As she watched him, he gave a loud snorting grunt and rolled over, turning his back on the ill kunoichi. Exploring the room further with her eyes the kunoichi spotted the door to the bathroom just past Jiraiya’s large bare feet. The kunoichi pushed back the thick blue blankets that covered her thin body and silently rose to her feet. With some embarrassment she noted that she had been changed from her damp and mud-spattered clothing and into what must have been one of Jiraiya’s spare shirts, the huge green shirt almost drowning the female wearing it. She took wobbly steps towards her destination, trying to be silent while also battling with her fever-hindered balance. She had just reached the feet of her helper when Jiraiya suddenly stretched in his sleep, his much larger feet tangling with hers and sending the girl tumbling to the hardwood floor. Areina landed hard with a grunt and heard the corresponding groan of Jiraiya as he woke up. Hoping that he would just go back to sleep Areina attempted to just crawl the last few feet to her destination but was stopped by the sleepy voice of Jiraiya.  
“What are you…yawn…doing?”

“My apologies for waking you up Jiraiya-sama. I was just trying to get to the bathroom.” Areina blushed when Jiraiya chuckled in response. She heard the rustle of cloth moving before strong hands gripped under her arms and lifted her back to her feet.

“Do what you need to do, I’ll see about getting us some breakfast. Don’t leave the room alright?” A hand shoved her into the bathroom before she could respond and the door shut in her face when she turned to look. With a sigh Areina saw to her needs and tried to lessen the chill in her bones with a hot shower. When she exited the shower, she found a new set of clothing waiting for her by the sink along with a brush and small vial of orange liquid. She blushed slightly at the thought that the man had been able to sneak into the small room without her hearing him, but then again if he had wanted to do anything to her, he had had plenty of opportunity to do so when she was unconscious. Shrugging off her mistrust Areina slipped on the new clothes, almost purring in delight at the feeling of the soft cloth against her skin. Jiraiya’s underwear choice for her had been a little…odd, but then again, she was rooming with the author of the Icha Icha series. Once she was fully dressed and refreshed Areina stepped out of the bathroom and looked around to see Jiraiya just finishing with setting up breakfast. He looked up when she entered and raised an eyebrow when he saw the vial of liquid in her hand.  
“Still don’t trust that I’m giving you medicine and not poison?”

“I wasn’t sure whether I was supposed to take the entire vial or not,” she drawled in response. If he was going to poke at how cautious she was then it was about time to remind him that she wasn’t a small child. She walked forward, keeping her head high but her attempt at bravado was ruined by a couple of coughs that bubbled up her throat, forcing her to pause and quickly swallow the medicine that she had been given. She flushed, again, when Jiraiya chuckled at her This man is seriously getting on my nerves! Areina frowned at him and sat with a huff. It was childish sure but if she was going to start coughing at every attempt at being serious then there wasn’t really much point in even trying. Ignoring the still chuckling man in front of her she looked at the table to see what he considered breakfast. 

A large steaming bowl of miso soup was slid in front of her, the tan liquid barely visible through the sea of tofu and mushrooms. She gratefully took a sip, almost sighing as the hot liquid soothed her irritated throat. Her body remembered just how hungry and starved she was and it was several minutes before she surfaced again. Meanwhile Jiraiya slowly tucked into his own rice and pickled vegetables, carefully watching Areina to make sure that she didn’t choke on her food. Once she felt sated, Areina sat back from the table, nursing a small cup of tea that warmed her chilled fingers. She watched curiously as Jiraiya reached into his hanten and pulled out a small notebook and pen before looking up and grinning at her.

“So, do you feel well enough to answer questions now or do I need to get ready to chase you down again?” Areina looked away guiltily. He had shown her nothing but kindness and how had she repaid him? By running off and breaking things. He had likely had to pay for the window that she had broken, he had bought her food, medicine, clothing…her debt to him was larger than she liked, but she had no means to repay him. Yet some part of her couldn’t help but be suspicious about his motives. Had he really only been hunting her for her story? How could she be sure that he wasn’t after any of the many bounties on her head? He hadn’t made any moves to harm or kill her but… She started when a large hand griped her shoulder. “Maybe you should just lay down and rest. Your body needs it.”

With a small nod Areina allowed him to guide her back to her futon. She would just lay down and wait for him to sleep or leave the room, then she would make her move. Someday, when she had the money, she would repay him for his kindness, but the world was too cruel for her to trust that he really wanted to help her. Areina was just settling down when she began to feel the slight burn on her shoulder. With a curse she struck back at Jiraiya, trying to stop the seal before he could complete it, but once again his greater size and strength won out. She could only snarl and curse at him as the chakra seal took affect, proving once again that in the world of shinobi, no one can be trusted.


End file.
